IBE aware channel selection

ABSTRACT

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus (e.g., first transmitter) determines a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth, detects a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels, and selects one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/882,975, entitled “IBE AWARE CHANNEL SELECTION” and filed on Sep. 26, 2013, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to selecting one of a number of subchannels in a bandwidth for transmitting a signal while aware of an in-band emission (IBE) power of transmitters transmitting on the subchannels.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example of an emerging telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA on the downlink (DL), SC-FDMA on the uplink (UL), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer program product, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus determines a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth, detects a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels; and selects one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network architecture.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an access network.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL frame structure in LTE.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an UL frame structure in LTE.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio protocol architecture for the user and control planes.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an evolved Node B and user equipment in an access network.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a device-to-device communications system.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an in-band emissions model.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an outage area caused by a transmitter.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual data flow diagram illustrating the data flow between different modules/means/components in an exemplary apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus employing a processing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with a “processing system” that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Accordingly, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), compact disk ROM (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), and floppy disk where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an LTE network architecture 100. The LTE network architecture 100 may be referred to as an Evolved Packet System (EPS) 100. The EPS 100 may include one or more user equipment (UE) 102, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 104, an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 110, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 120, and an Operator's Internet Protocol (IP) Services 122. The EPS can interconnect with other access networks, but for simplicity those entities/interfaces are not shown. As shown, the EPS provides packet-switched services, however, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be extended to networks providing circuit-switched services.

The E-UTRAN includes the evolved Node B (eNB) 106 and other eNBs 108. The eNB 106 provides user and control planes protocol terminations toward the UE 102. The eNB 106 may be connected to the other eNBs 108 via a backhaul (e.g., an X2 interface). The eNB 106 may also be referred to as a base station, a Node B, an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), or some other suitable terminology. The eNB 106 provides an access point to the EPC 110 for a UE 102. Examples of UEs 102 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet, or any other similar functioning device. The UE 102 may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

The eNB 106 is connected to the EPC 110. The EPC 110 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 112, other MMEs 114, a Serving Gateway 116, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 124, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 126, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 118. The MME 112 is the control node that processes the signaling between the UE 102 and the EPC 110. Generally, the MME 112 provides bearer and connection management. All user IP packets are transferred through the Serving Gateway 116, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 118. The PDN Gateway 118 provides UE IP address allocation as well as other functions. The PDN Gateway 118 is connected to the Operator's IP Services 122. The Operator's IP Services 122 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and a PS Streaming Service (PSS). The BM-SC 126 may provide functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 126 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmission, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS Bearer Services within a PLMN, and may be used to schedule and deliver MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 124 may be used to distribute MBMS traffic to the eNBs (e.g., 106, 108) belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a particular service, and may be responsible for session management (start/stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an access network 200 in an LTE network architecture. In this example, the access network 200 is divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) 202. One or more lower power class eNBs 208 may have cellular regions 210 that overlap with one or more of the cells 202. The lower power class eNB 208 may be a femto cell (e.g., home eNB (HeNB)), pico cell, micro cell, or remote radio head (RRH). The macro eNBs 204 are each assigned to a respective cell 202 and are configured to provide an access point to the EPC 110 for all the UEs 206 in the cells 202. There is no centralized controller in this example of an access network 200, but a centralized controller may be used in alternative configurations. The eNBs 204 are responsible for all radio related functions including radio bearer control, admission control, mobility control, scheduling, security, and connectivity to the serving gateway 116. An eNB may support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells (also referred to as a sector). The term “cell” can refer to the smallest coverage area of an eNB and/or an eNB subsystem serving are particular coverage area. Further, the terms “eNB,” “base station,” and “cell” may be used interchangeably herein.

The modulation and multiple access scheme employed by the access network 200 may vary depending on the particular telecommunications standard being deployed. In LTE applications, OFDM is used on the DL and SC-FDMA is used on the UL to support both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the detailed description to follow, the various concepts presented herein are well suited for LTE applications. However, these concepts may be readily extended to other telecommunication standards employing other modulation and multiple access techniques. By way of example, these concepts may be extended to Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). EV-DO and UMB are air interface standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) as part of the CDMA2000 family of standards and employs CDMA to provide broadband Internet access to mobile stations. These concepts may also be extended to Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) employing Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other variants of CDMA, such as TD-SCDMA; Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) employing TDMA; and Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, and Flash-OFDM employing OFDMA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM are described in documents from the 3GPP organization. CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from the 3GPP2 organization. The actual wireless communication standard and the multiple access technology employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

The eNBs 204 may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the eNBs 204 to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing may be used to transmit different streams of data simultaneously on the same frequency. The data streams may be transmitted to a single UE 206 to increase the data rate or to multiple UEs 206 to increase the overall system capacity. This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., applying a scaling of an amplitude and a phase) and then transmitting each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the DL. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at the UE(s) 206 with different spatial signatures, which enables each of the UE(s) 206 to recover the one or more data streams destined for that UE 206. On the UL, each UE 206 transmits a spatially precoded data stream, which enables the eNB 204 to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

Spatial multiplexing is generally used when channel conditions are good. When channel conditions are less favorable, beamforming may be used to focus the transmission energy in one or more directions. This may be achieved by spatially precoding the data for transmission through multiple antennas. To achieve good coverage at the edges of the cell, a single stream beamforming transmission may be used in combination with transmit diversity.

In the detailed description that follows, various aspects of an access network will be described with reference to a MIMO system supporting OFDM on the DL. OFDM is a spread-spectrum technique that modulates data over a number of subcarriers within an OFDM symbol. The subcarriers are spaced apart at precise frequencies. The spacing provides “orthogonality” that enables a receiver to recover the data from the subcarriers. In the time domain, a guard interval (e.g., cyclic prefix) may be added to each OFDM symbol to combat inter-OFDM-symbol interference. The UL may use SC-FDMA in the form of a DFT-spread OFDM signal to compensate for high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR).

FIG. 3 is a diagram 300 illustrating an example of a DL frame structure in LTE. A frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes. Each subframe may include two consecutive time slots. A resource grid may be used to represent two time slots, each time slot including a resource block. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements. In LTE, a resource block contains 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and, for a normal cyclic prefix in each OFDM symbol, 7 consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain, or 84 resource elements. For an extended cyclic prefix, a resource block contains 6 consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain and has 72 resource elements. Some of the resource elements, indicated as R 302, 304, include DL reference signals (DL-RS). The DL-RS include Cell-specific RS (CRS) (also sometimes called common RS) 302 and UE-specific RS (UE-RS) 304. UE-RS 304 are transmitted only on the resource blocks upon which the corresponding physical DL shared channel (PDSCH) is mapped. The number of bits carried by each resource element depends on the modulation scheme. Thus, the more resource blocks that a UE receives and the higher the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate for the UE.

FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of an UL frame structure in LTE. The available resource blocks for the UL may be partitioned into a data section and a control section. The control section may be formed at the two edges of the system bandwidth and may have a configurable size. The resource blocks in the control section may be assigned to UEs for transmission of control information. The data section may include all resource blocks not included in the control section. The UL frame structure results in the data section including contiguous subcarriers, which may allow a single UE to be assigned all of the contiguous subcarriers in the data section.

A UE may be assigned resource blocks 410 a, 410 b in the control section to transmit control information to an eNB. The UE may also be assigned resource blocks 420 a, 420 b in the data section to transmit data to the eNB. The UE may transmit control information in a physical UL control channel (PUCCH) on the assigned resource blocks in the control section. The UE may transmit only data or both data and control information in a physical UL shared channel (PUSCH) on the assigned resource blocks in the data section. A UL transmission may span both slots of a subframe and may hop across frequency.

A set of resource blocks may be used to perform initial system access and achieve UL synchronization in a physical random access channel (PRACH) 430. The PRACH 430 carries a random sequence and cannot carry any UL data/signaling. Each random access preamble occupies a bandwidth corresponding to six consecutive resource blocks. The starting frequency is specified by the network. That is, the transmission of the random access preamble is restricted to certain time and frequency resources. There is no frequency hopping for the PRACH. The PRACH attempt is carried in a single subframe (1 ms) or in a sequence of few contiguous subframes and a UE can make only a single PRACH attempt per frame (10 ms).

FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example of a radio protocol architecture for the user and control planes in LTE. The radio protocol architecture for the UE and the eNB is shown with three layers: Layer 1, Layer 2, and Layer 3. Layer 1 (L1 layer) is the lowest layer and implements various physical layer signal processing functions. The L1 layer will be referred to herein as the physical layer 506. Layer 2 (L2 layer) 508 is above the physical layer 506 and is responsible for the link between the UE and eNB over the physical layer 506.

In the user plane, the L2 layer 508 includes a media access control (MAC) sublayer 510, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer 512, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) 514 sublayer, which are terminated at the eNB on the network side. Although not shown, the UE may have several upper layers above the L2 layer 508 including a network layer (e.g., IP layer) that is terminated at the PDN gateway 118 on the network side, and an application layer that is terminated at the other end of the connection (e.g., far end UE, server, etc.).

The PDCP sublayer 514 provides multiplexing between different radio bearers and logical channels. The PDCP sublayer 514 also provides header compression for upper layer data packets to reduce radio transmission overhead, security by ciphering the data packets, and handover support for UEs between eNBs. The RLC sublayer 512 provides segmentation and reassembly of upper layer data packets, retransmission of lost data packets, and reordering of data packets to compensate for out-of-order reception due to hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). The MAC sublayer 510 provides multiplexing between logical and transport channels. The MAC sublayer 510 is also responsible for allocating the various radio resources (e.g., resource blocks) in one cell among the UEs. The MAC sublayer 510 is also responsible for HARQ operations.

In the control plane, the radio protocol architecture for the UE and eNB is substantially the same for the physical layer 506 and the L2 layer 508 with the exception that there is no header compression function for the control plane. The control plane also includes a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 516 in Layer 3 (L3 layer). The RRC sublayer 516 is responsible for obtaining radio resources (e.g., radio bearers) and for configuring the lower layers using RRC signaling between the eNB and the UE.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an eNB 610 in communication with a UE 650 in an access network. In the DL, upper layer packets from the core network are provided to a controller/processor 675. The controller/processor 675 implements the functionality of the L2 layer. In the DL, the controller/processor 675 provides header compression, ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, multiplexing between logical and transport channels, and radio resource allocations to the UE 650 based on various priority metrics. The controller/processor 675 is also responsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, and signaling to the UE 650.

The transmit (TX) processor 616 implements various signal processing functions for the L1 layer (i.e., physical layer). The signal processing functions include coding and interleaving to facilitate forward error correction (FEC) at the UE 650 and mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols are then split into parallel streams. Each stream is then mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 674 may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and/or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 650. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 620 via a separate transmitter 618TX. Each transmitter 618TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the UE 650, each receiver 654RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 652. Each receiver 654RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 656. The RX processor 656 implements various signal processing functions of the L1 layer. The RX processor 656 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 650. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 650, they may be combined by the RX processor 656 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 656 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the eNB 610. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by the channel estimator 658. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the eNB 610 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller/processor 659.

The controller/processor 659 implements the L2 layer. The controller/processor can be associated with a memory 660 that stores program codes and data. The memory 660 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller/processor 659 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the core network. The upper layer packets are then provided to a data sink 662, which represents all the protocol layers above the L2 layer. Various control signals may also be provided to the data sink 662 for L3 processing. The controller/processor 659 is also responsible for error detection using an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support HARQ operations.

In the UL, a data source 667 is used to provide upper layer packets to the controller/processor 659. The data source 667 represents all protocol layers above the L2 layer. Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the eNB 610, the controller/processor 659 implements the L2 layer for the user plane and the control plane by providing header compression, ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, and multiplexing between logical and transport channels based on radio resource allocations by the eNB 610. The controller/processor 659 is also responsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, and signaling to the eNB 610.

Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator 658 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the eNB 610 may be used by the TX processor 668 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 668 may be provided to different antenna 652 via separate transmitters 654TX. Each transmitter 654TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

The UL transmission is processed at the eNB 610 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 650. Each receiver 618RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 620. Each receiver 618RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 670. The RX processor 670 may implement the L1 layer.

The controller/processor 675 implements the L2 layer. The controller/processor 675 can be associated with a memory 676 that stores program codes and data. The memory 676 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the control/processor 675 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the UE 650. Upper layer packets from the controller/processor 675 may be provided to the core network. The controller/processor 675 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a device-to-device communications system 700. The device-to-device (D2D) communications system 700 includes a plurality of wireless devices 704, 706, 708, 710. The device-to-device communications system 700 may overlap with a cellular communications system, such as for example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN). Some of the wireless devices 704, 706, 708, 710 may communicate together in device-to-device communication using the DL/UL WWAN spectrum, some may communicate with the base station 702, and some may do both. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the wireless devices 708, 710 are in device-to-device communication and the wireless devices 704, 706 are in device-to-device communication. The wireless devices 704, 706 are also communicating with the base station 702.

The exemplary methods and apparatuses discussed infra are applicable to any of a variety of wireless device-to-device communications systems, such as for example, a wireless device-to-device communication system based on FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. To simplify the discussion, the exemplary methods and apparatus are discussed within the context of LTE. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the exemplary methods and apparatuses are applicable more generally to a variety of other wireless device-to-device communication systems.

An aspect of the present disclosure is related to broadcast D2D communication motivated by public safety concerns. A baseline design for broadcast communication may be to divide a bandwidth into narrowband subchannels, wherein each transmitter of a number of neighboring transmitters may select one subchannel to transmit a signal. Subchannel selection may be based on received energy measurements.

A limit on system performance may be imposed by in-band emissions. An in-band emission (IBE) is interference caused by one transmitter transmitting on one subchannel and imposed on another transmitter transmitting to a receiver on another subchannel. In the present disclosure, methods and apparatuses are provided to improve system performance by facilitating subchannel selection while aware of IBE on the subchannels of the bandwidth.

FIG. 8 is a diagram 800 illustrating an in-band emissions model. FIG. 9 is a diagram 900 illustrating an outage area (e.g., zones, regions, etc.) caused by a transmitter. Two observations may be utilized for determining a subchannel selection algorithm. First, not all subchannels see the same amount of interference. Referring to FIG. 8, the plot of the in-band emissions model shows that nearby subchannels as well as other subchannels (e.g., I/Q or image subchannels) experience more interference.

Second, transmitters located farther away cause more interference. For example, a simple model with uniform pathloss with exponent 4 and −30 dBc IBE is considered. Referring to FIG. 9, a transmitter TX1 902 is a distance d from a neighboring transmitter TX2 904. The transmitter TX1 902 is also at a distance greater than d from another neighboring transmitter TX3 906. Also shown are an outage zone 914 of the transmitter TX2 904 and an outage zone 916 of the transmitter TX3 906. An outage zone may be defined as a geographical area (region) related to a neighboring transmitter (e.g., TX2 904 or TX3 906) where an intended receiver of a signal from a home transmitter (e.g., TX1 902) experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold (e.g., 0 dB).

In FIG. 9, the transmitter TX2 904 that is at the distance d from the transmitter TX1 902 may cause a circular outage zone 914 having a radius of approximately d/10. An intended receiver of a signal from the transmitter TX1 902 that is 10 times closer to the transmitter TX2 904 will be in the outage zone 914 of the transmitter TX2 904 due to the IBE of the transmitter TX2 904. Thus, the intended receiver of the signal from the transmitter TX1 902 will experience SINR of less than the threshold (e.g., 0 dB) when in the outage zone 914 of the transmitter TX2 904. If a transmitter is characterized by the outage area it causes, then a transmitter farther away from the transmitter TX1 902 (e.g., transmitter TX3 906 at a distance greater than d) will cause a larger outage zone than a transmitter (e.g., transmitter TX2 904) closer to the transmitter.

In an aspect, a method for subchannel selection is provided. According to an example, each transmitter of a number of neighboring transmitters may monitor its surroundings and determine which subchannels of a given bandwidth are occupied by the neighboring transmitters. Each transmitter may also monitor a relative strength of each neighboring transmitter.

For each subchannel, a transmitter may estimate an outage zone (outage region) related to a respective subchannel if the transmitter was to use the respective subchannel for transmitting a signal to an intended receiver. The estimation may include an estimate of the IBE based on a model (e.g., pattern shown in FIG. 8) and/or an estimate of an outage zone based on a pathloss estimate to a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the respective subchannel. The following properties may be applied during the estimation: 1) a subchannel with larger IBE implies a larger outage zone; and 2) a weaker transmitter implies a larger outage zone. The transmitter may then select a subchannel with a smallest estimated outage zone.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart 1000 of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a first transmitter (e.g., UE or any one of wireless devices 704, 706, 708, or 710 of FIG. 7).

At step 1002, the first transmitter determines a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth. The transmission power determination may include determining an in-band emission (IBE) power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on a respective subchannel and/or determining a transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting an intended transmission signal. In an aspect, the IBE power for each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels is determined based on a model for IBE and a determination of the transmission power of the intended transmission signal on a respective subchannel.

At step 1004, the first transmitter detects a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels. The first transmitter may then select one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.

For example, at step 1006, for each of the plurality of subchannels, the first transmitter estimates a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter. The outage region may include a geographical area where an intended receiver of the signal from the first transmitter experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold (e.g., 0 dB). In an aspect, the determined transmission power of the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel. Moreover, the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel also indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.

At step 1008, the first transmitter selects the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels. In an aspect, the first transmitter selects the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the subchannel having a smallest estimated outage region size.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual data flow diagram 1100 illustrating the data flow between different modules/means/components in an exemplary apparatus 1102. The apparatus may be a first transmitter (e.g., UE or any one of wireless devices 704, 706, 708, or 710 of FIG. 7). The apparatus includes a receiving module 1104, a transmission power determining module 1106, a pathloss detecting module 1108, an outage region estimating module 1110, a subchannel processing module 1112, and a transmission module 1114.

The transmission power determining module 1106 determines (via the receiving module 1104 and the transmission module 1114) a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters (e.g., neighboring transmitter(s) 1150) respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth. The transmission power determination may include determining an in-band emission (IBE) power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on a respective subchannel and/or determining a transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting an intended transmission signal. In an aspect, the IBE power for each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels is determined based on a model for IBE and a determination of the transmission power of the intended transmission signal on a respective subchannel.

The pathloss detecting module 1108 detects (via the receiving module 1104 and the transmission module 1114) a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels. The apparatus 1102 may select one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal (via the transmission module 1114) based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.

For example, for each of the plurality of subchannels, the outage region estimating module 1110 estimates a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter. The outage region may include a geographical area where an intended receiver of the signal from the first transmitter experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold (e.g., 0 dB). In an aspect, the determined transmission power of the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel. Moreover, the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel also indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.

The subchannel processing module 1112 selects the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels. In an aspect, the subchannel processing module 1112 selects the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the subchannel having a smallest estimated outage region size.

The apparatus may include additional modules that perform each of the steps of the algorithm in the aforementioned flow chart of FIG. 10. As such, each step in the aforementioned flow chart of FIG. 10 may be performed by a module and the apparatus may include one or more of those modules. The modules may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to carry out the stated processes/algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the stated processes/algorithm, stored within a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

FIG. 12 is a diagram 1200 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1102′ employing a processing system 1214. The processing system 1214 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus 1224. The bus 1224 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 1214 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1224 links together various circuits including one or more processors and/or hardware modules, represented by the processor 1204, the modules 1104, 1106, 1108, 1110, 1112, 1114, and the computer-readable medium/memory 1206. The bus 1224 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further.

The processing system 1214 may be coupled to a transceiver 1210. The transceiver 1210 is coupled to one or more antennas 1220. The transceiver 1210 provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The transceiver 1210 receives a signal from the one or more antennas 1220, extracts information from the received signal, and provides the extracted information to the processing system 1214, specifically the receiving module 1104. In addition, the transceiver 1210 receives information from the processing system 1214, specifically the transmission module 1114, and based on the received information, generates a signal to be applied to the one or more antennas 1220. The processing system 1214 includes a processor 1204 coupled to a computer-readable medium/memory 1206. The processor 1204 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium/memory 1206. The software, when executed by the processor 1204, causes the processing system 1214 to perform the various functions described supra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium/memory 1206 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 1204 when executing software. The processing system further includes at least one of the modules 1104, 1106, 1108, 1110, 1112, and 1114. The modules may be software modules running in the processor 1204, resident/stored in the computer readable medium/memory 1206, one or more hardware modules coupled to the processor 1204, or some combination thereof. The processing system 1214 may be a component of the UE 650 and may include the memory 660 and/or at least one of the TX processor 668, the RX processor 656, and the controller/processor 659.

In one configuration, the apparatus 1102/1102′ for wireless communication includes means for determining a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth, means for detecting a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels, means for selecting one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels, and means for estimating a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter, wherein the means for selecting is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels.

The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned modules of the apparatus 1102 and/or the processing system 1214 of the apparatus 1102′ configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described supra, the processing system 1214 may include the TX Processor 668, the RX Processor 656, and the controller/processor 659. As such, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX Processor 668, the RX Processor 656, and the controller/processor 659 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Further, some steps may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and/or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication of a first transmitter, comprising: determining a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth; detecting a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels; and selecting one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the transmission power comprises determining at least one of: an in-band emission (IBE) power; or a transmission power of an intended transmission signal.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the IBE power for each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels is determined based on a model for IBE and a determination of the transmission power of the intended transmission signal on a respective subchannel.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: for each of the plurality of subchannels, estimating a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter, wherein the one of the plurality of subchannels is selected based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one of the plurality of subchannels is selected based on the subchannel having a smallest estimated outage region size.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the outage region comprises a geographical area where an intended receiver of the signal from the first transmitter experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the determined transmission power of the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 9. A first transmitter for wireless communication, comprising: means for determining a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth; means for detecting a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels; and means for selecting one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.
 10. The first transmitter of claim 9, wherein the means for determining the transmission power is configured to determine at least one of: an in-band emission (IBE) power; or a transmission power of an intended transmission signal.
 11. The first transmitter of claim 10, wherein the IBE power for each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels is determined based on a model for IBE and a determination of the transmission power of the intended transmission signal on a respective subchannel.
 12. The first transmitter of claim 9, further comprising: for each of the plurality of subchannels, means for estimating a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter, wherein the means for selecting is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels.
 13. The first transmitter of claim 12, wherein the means for selecting is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the subchannel having a smallest estimated outage region size.
 14. The first transmitter of claim 12, wherein the outage region comprises a geographical area where an intended receiver of the signal from the first transmitter experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold.
 15. The first transmitter of claim 12, wherein the determined transmission power of the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 16. The first transmitter of claim 12, wherein the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 17. A first transmitter for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: determine a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth; detect a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels; and select one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.
 18. The first transmitter of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor configured to determine the transmission power is configured to determine at least one of: an in-band emission (IBE) power; or a transmission power of an intended transmission signal, wherein the IBE power for each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels is determined based on a model for IBE and a determination of the transmission power of the intended transmission signal on a respective subchannel.
 19. The first transmitter of claim 17, the at least one processor further configured to: for each of the plurality of subchannels, estimate a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels.
 20. The first transmitter of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the subchannel having a smallest estimated outage region size.
 21. The first transmitter of claim 19, wherein the outage region comprises a geographical area where an intended receiver of the signal from the first transmitter experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold.
 22. The first transmitter of claim 19, wherein the determined transmission power of the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 23. The first transmitter of claim 19, wherein the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 24. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising code that when executed on at least one processor causes the at least one processor to: determine a transmission power of each of a plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on a plurality of subchannels in a bandwidth; detect a pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels; and select one of the plurality of subchannels for transmitting a signal based on the determined transmission power on each of the plurality of subchannels and the detected pathloss to each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels.
 25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the code that causes the at least one processor to determine the transmission power is configured to determine at least one of: an in-band emission (IBE) power; or a transmission power of an intended transmission signal, wherein the IBE power for each of the plurality of neighboring transmitters respectively transmitting on the plurality of subchannels is determined based on a model for IBE and a determination of the transmission power of the intended transmission signal on a respective subchannel.
 26. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising: for each of the plurality of subchannels, code that causes the at least one processor to estimate a size of an outage region for a subchannel based on a determined transmission power of a neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel and the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter, wherein the code the causes the at least one processor to select is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the estimated outage region size for each of the plurality of subchannels.
 27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the code that causes the at least processor to select is configured to select the one of the plurality of subchannels based on the subchannel having a smallest estimated outage region size.
 28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the outage region comprises a geographical area where an intended receiver of the signal from the first transmitter experiences a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of less than a threshold.
 29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the determined transmission power of the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel.
 30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the detected pathloss to the neighboring transmitter transmitting on the subchannel indicates the size of the outage region for the subchannel. 